Treating oil.



J. A. DUBBS TREATING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1905.

WITNESSES:

My MHZ? Q A Afiy'S PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.

UNITE il STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

JESSE A. DUBBS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TREATING OIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Application filed Noveniber 9, 1905. Serial No. 286,472.

ered certain new and usefullmprovements in 1 Treating Oil, of which improvements the following isa specification.

It is characteristic of some crud-e petroleum oils that water is mingled or combined therewith in such manner as to render it impossible to separate the water and oil, as is necessaryfor refining, by any of the methods known in the art. While not stating it to be a fact, it is thought that by reason of the presence of some substance an emulsion is formed by the water and oil, the water appearing in an extremelyfine divided state. It has been attempted to separate the oil and water by heat and distillation, but such attempts have been unsuccessful.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification is shown in sectional elevation a form of apparatus adapted to the practice of my invention.

I have found that by subjecting this crude oil to a high heat while held from vaporization, and allowing the material to cool,'that the water will segregate and settle down through the oil and'can be drawn off in'the usual manner.

In the practice of my invention the crude oil is run into a suitable receptacle 1 in which it can be subjected to the required heat as by a steam coil 2, and at the same time prev-ent ed from material va orization. In this receptacle the crude oi is subjected to a temperature above the vaporizing temperature of the oil and water, 'i. 6., to a temperature at which the vaporization of the lightest constituent will be at the rate of about five per cent. 'orone-twentieth of a cubic-foot per hour at atmospheric pressure persquarc foot of 6X osed area. In general this tcin erature is ound to be approximately equa to 250 or 300 Fahrenheit. As oils vaporize at different tem eratures dependent upon the presence an proportion of the benzin or other lighter hydrocarbon constituent in. the oil, the vaporizing temperature herein referred to is that temperature at which the vaporization will be free and full at atmospheric temperature, or at a rate of 5 per cent. er hour per square foot of exposed area. T e coil 2 is connected in an operation to a sultable steam generator, and also to a su .erheater when necessary. After the oil as been heated as above specified, vaporization being prevented by the ressure generated in the receptacle by the eat, the contents of the receptacle are allowed to cool below a temperature at which the lightest constituents will vaporize freely and preferably to atmospheric temperature. The oil after passin below vaporizing temperature is preferafily run into another receptacle where it can be free from agitation to afford opportunity for the gravity separation of the water from I the oil.

While the receptacle or chamber in which the oil is heated may be filled with oil so that there will be no se aration of va ors and liquids when heater it is found t at more heat units and a longer time are required to bring the oil to the proper temperature under such conditions, than if a small vacancy is left in the vessel to permit of some expansion of the li uids' while being heated.

In or or to prevent any'injury to the receptacle by excessive pressure, means are provided as the safety valve 3 to relieve pressure when it approaches a dangerous point.

I claim herein as my invention:

As an improvement in the art of se arating oil and water the method herein escribed which consists in heating the mixed oil and water at a temperature above that at which the vaporization would be at the rate of about one-twentieth of a cubicfoot per square foot of surface area per hour at atmospheric pressure, preventing any substantial vaporization and allowing theoil and water to cool belov fvaporizing tern erature,

whereby the oil and Water are al owed to my hand.

JESSE A. DUBBS. Witnesses:

CHARLES BARNETT, CARL SIEDLE. 

